Safety bathtub diverter spout



Feb. 0, 1 1 s. c. GREEN 3,493,917

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-lluiii INVENT OR EDWARD c; GREEN ATTORNEY United States Patent3,493,977 SAFETY BATHTUB DIVERTER SPOUT Edward C. Green, 80 DutchBroadway, Elmont, N.Y. 11003 Filed June 1, 1967, Ser. No. 642,949 Int.Cl. E03c 1/04; F16]: 31/58, 29/00 US. Cl. 4-191 7 Claims ABSTRACT OF THEDISCLOSURE A combination safety bathtub diverter spout and valveassembly for use in bathtub and shower systems to retract the spout andthereby remove a protruding object from the bathtub when a batherdesires to use a shower system in conjunction with a bathtub; comprisinga water supply pipe having a valve assembly to control the water supply;a retractable bathtub diverter spout member having its trailing endadapted to removeably engage one end of the supply pipe, the spout beingfurther provided with means to control the operation of the valveassembly disposed in the supply pipe; a diverter spout containerassembly, the diverter spout member being adapted to being retractableto a position within the diverter spout container assembly in suchmanner that when the diverter spout member is in horizontal position thevalve assembly is in an open position to permit water to pass out of thespout into the bathtub, and when the diverter spout member is in avertical position, the valve assembly is closed to permit water frompassing out of the spout member and causes the water to be forced up thesupply pipe and to be distributed through the shower systems above thebathtub.

Background of the invention It is well known to utilize combinationbathtub and shower systems wherein a shower mechanism is placed abovethe bathtub and is adapted to cooperate with the water supply such thatthe water may be either obtained from the spout leading to the bathtubor caused to pass out of the shower system, the user thereby beingenabled to take a shower while standing in the bathtub. This system hasof course gained acceptance in large numbers of homes and hotels andmotels as it provides both bathtub and shower facilities in a singlecompartment thereby saving on space as well as expenses in the provisionof both systems.

Heretofore however, the bathtub spout has been provided as a fixedmember which in many cases has led to serious accidents during theshowering operation as by reason of the users slipping and falling inthe wet bathtub and striking some portion of their body on theprotruding bathtub spout. Obviously, a protruding sharp object, such asa bathtub spout, can cause quite serious injuries as opposed to merelystriking a flat surface such as a tiled Wall which is ordinarilyemployed around the bathtub construction. It is therefore clear that adistinct need is present in the art for a bathtub spout combinable witha shower system wherein the spout can be moved to a position out of thedirection of the fall thus obviating the possible serious injuries whichmay result from striking the protruding spout.

Summary of the invention It is accordingly one object of the presentinvention to provide a combination bathtub diverter spout and valveassembly which retains all the advantages of the conventional bathtubspout and shower assembly systems but yet provides means for removingthe spout from prominence when desiring to take a shower and thusserving ice as an effective means of preventing serious accidents causedby falls in the bathtub.

A further object of the present invention resides in the provision of abathtub diverter spout and valve assembly for use in combination bathtuband shower systems wherein the bathtub spout is adapted to beretractable to a position such that it is removed from the bathtub as aprotruding object while at the same time serving to direct the watersupply to the shower assembly.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention become apparent asthe description thereof proceeds.

In satisfaction of the foregoing objects and advantages there isprovided by the present invention a combination bathtub diverter spoutand valve assembly comprising; a water supply pipe, the water supplypipe being provided with a check valve assembly; a retractable diverterspout member having a trailing end which is adapted to removeably engageone end of the supply pipe member, the trailing end of the diverterspout member being further provided with means to control the operationof the check valve assembly; a diverter spout container assembly, thediverter spout member being adapted to be retracted to a position withinthe diverter spout container assembly in such manner that when the spoutis in a horizontal position, the check valve assembly is open to permitwater to pass out of said spout into the bathtub, and when the spoutmember is in a vertical position, the check valve assembly is closed tothereby prevent water from passing out of the spout and causes the waterto be directed to the shower assembly mechanism from which it will bedistributed.

Brief description of the drawings Reference is now made to the drawingsaccompanying this application wherein one form of the invention isillustrated and wherein:

FIGURE 1 represents a perspective View of the retractable bathtubdiverter spout assembly and container assembly of this invention mountedfor use in a conventional bathroom;

FIGURE 2 represents an exploded view of the diverter spout containerassembly together with a detailed view of the diverter spout;

FIGURE 3 represents an enlarged sectional view of the diverter spoutmember assembly in combination with the water supply pipe and checkvalve means seen along lines 33 of FIGURE 1; and

FIGURE 4 represents an enlarged view of the diverter spout member invertical position with the check valve assembly in the Water supply pipebeing in closed position.

Description of the preferred embodiments According to the presentinvention, a combination bathtub diverter spout and valve assembly isprovided wherein the bathtub spout is adapted to be reciprocated to aposition which removes the spout as a protruding object in the bathtuband thereby serves to remove the spout as a possible cause of seriousinjury in case of a fall by a person in the bathtub. The inventionfurther provides means whereby the retracting action of the diverterspout member serves to actuate a check valve assembly in a water supplypipe and thereby direct the flow of water to the shower system when auser desires to take a shower.

It is to be appreciated that the bathtub diverter spout and valveassembly of this invention is adapted for use in conventional bathtuband shower assemblies and may be placed in the system of an existingbathroom tubshower system or may be incorporated into completely newsystems during original construction of the bathroom where such systemsare desired.

Referring now in detail to the drawings accompanying the application, itis to be seen that in FIGURE 1 there is illustrated a conventionalbathroom and shower assembly in which the retractable diverter spout andvalve assembly of this invention has been incorporated. In FIG- URE 1,reference numeral 1 illustrates a conventional tiled bathroom wall withnumeral 2 generally representing the bathtub diverter spout assembly ofthis invention, including retractable, diverter spout, or diverter spoutmember 3 in horizontal position together with operating componentsenclosed within diverter spout container assembly 4. Thus the drawingset forth in FIGURE 1 is intended to illustrate the appearance of thebathtub diverter spout assembly of this invention when actually mountedin a bathroom system.

In FIGURE 3, the diverter spout member 3, in combination with the othercomponent parts of this invention, is set forth in an enlarged sectionalview showing the diverter spout member, represented by numeral 3 in itshorizontal position, and also in its vertical position by phantom lines.Also in this figure, it may be seen that numeral 10 represents a watersupply pipe through which water is supplied to the bathtub and/or showerassembly and numeral 4 depicts the diverter spout container assembly,

The water supply pipe 10 is provided at its lower end with a taperedportion 11 and in the neck of the tapered portion, a ground seat ledge,ground seat, or seating member 12 is provided, this ground seat ledgebeing adapted to receive the ground lower seat portion, valve seat, orseating member 13 of check valve, check valve member, or assembly 14. Itshould be noted that conventional ground steel seats may be employed inparts 12 and 13 so long as a water tight seal is achieved when the valveseat 13 closes upon the ledge seat 12. The remaining members of thesupply pipe assembly 10 may be constructed of conventional plumbingmaterials.

As pointed out, the tapered end 11 of supply ipe 10 is adapted to engagethe trailing open end 15 of the diverter spout member 3, the diverterspout member in the embodiment illustrated, comprising a T-shaped spoutconstruction as illustrated more particularly in FIGURE 2. The diverterspout thus comprises a trailing open end 15, an exit portion 16 andprotruding closed side portions 17 and 17', which are adapted to bedisposed within the diverter container assembly 4 to permit the diverterspout member 3 to be rotated as described hereinafter. The interior ofthe rearward portion of spout member 3 is also provided with an abuttingledge member 18 which is adapted to engage the lower ball portion 19 ofcheck valve member 14 such that the check valve 14 Will be forcedupwardly when the diverter spout member 3 is in a horizontal position tothereby permit water to pass from the supply pipe 10 out into thebathtub by way of diverter spout member 3,

Also provided in the assembly is a spring member secured to the rearwall of the diverter spout container assembly 4 by a screw 6, whichspring member is adapted to be biased against the elbow portion 7 ofdiverter spout member 3, when in horizontal position, and thus apply anupward force against the spout member. This embodiment is necessary toovercome the effect of the initial thrust of the water when it is turnedon thus preventing the diverter spout member from swinging to itsvertical position when the water is turned on to fill the bathtub.

It is of course to be understood that devices other than the spring 5 asshown can be employed for this purpose. Thus a brake-shoe type devicemay be inserted around the T arms of the diverter spout to control itsaction. Further, a spring catch device may be mounted on the supply pipeto catch and hold a corresponding device attached to the spout member.Also, a spring catch or magnet may be mounted on the diverter spoutcontainer assembly to achieve this purpose. Other means of performingthis function will become obvious to those skilled in the art,

To place the diverter spout member 3 and check valve assembly 14 inproper position for use, a diverter spout container assembly 4 isprovided as shown specifically in FIGURE 2. In this figure it is to benoted that there is provided a diverter spout container assembly 4comprising a diverter box-like member 21 provided with a pair ofhorizontal grooves 23 and 23 into which the T portions of the T-shapeddiverter spout member 3 are placed for rotation. The diverter box 21 isfurther provided with a vertical recessed portion 24 for reception ofspout member 3 when it is raised to a vertical position and with opening28 for reception of the water supply pipe position. Diverter box member21 is also provided with conventional tapped holes for the insertion ofscrews in mounting diverter box cover 30 to diverter box 21. In FIGURE2, it may be seen that that diverter box 21 may be attached to theinside of the rear wall by means of flange or car 37 using screw means.

After placing the T-shaped diverter spout member 3 into grooves 23 and23' of the diverter box 21, a diverter box cover 30 is then placedthereover by the use of conventional screws 31 which are passed freelythrough holes 32 of cover 30 and engage screw holes 25 provided in theappropriate positions in the diverter box member 21.

As may be noted in FIGURE 2, the diverter box cover is provided withraised portions 33 and 33 which correspond to the grooves 23 and 23' indiverter box 21 and thus are adapted to retain diverter spout member 3in a position such that the spout member 3 may turn freely within thegrooves or rounded portions formed therein. It is also to be noted thatthe diverter lbox cover 30 is provided with a vertical groove orindented area 34 which fits within the recessed portion 24 of diverterbox 21 for receiving the spout member 3 when it is raised to a verticalposition. Also, diverter box cover 30 is provided with a bottom raisedportion 35 for the spout member 3 to rest on when in a horizontalposition and to provide a finished and enclosed appearance for trailingend 15 of spout member 3 when raised.

After placing the diverter box cover 30 over the diverter spout member 3resting on diverter box 21, an adjustable face plate or face platemember is provided to cover the operating components and provide anaesthetic appearance to the diverter spout assembly. An enlarged view ofthis face plate member 40 is shown in FIGURE 2, and FIGURE 1 illustratesthe face plate in position in a conventional bathtub. The face plate 40generally comprises a box-shaped member 41 adapted to fit over thediverter box 21 and diverter box cover 30 and further is provided with aflanged portion 42 to cover the seam formed with the bathroom wall whenthe diverter box is placed therein. The face plate 40 may be mountedwith conventional screws 43 which pass through screw holes 44 and in theface plate and the middle holes in the diverter box and cover. Also, itis contemplated that a sealing compound should be placed behind the faceplate as a seal between it and the tile wall. It is to be noted that theface plate shown is adjustable by reason of its variable thickness andthus may be utilized regardless of the distance between the tiledportion of the bathroom wall and the position of the supply pipe leadingto the bathtub.

The diverter box member 21 is also provided with a drip ramp 26 (seeFIGURES 3 and 4) leading to a small opening or weep-hole 27 from whichany water which may drip during action of the check valve assembly maybe removed from the diverter spout container assembly and allowed todrip into the bathtub by passage down a similar ramp 45 and out opening46 in the face plate 40. This provision for elimination of any waterdrippage is necessary in view of the fact that a small amount of watercan be expected to drip during operation of the diverter spout assembly.

The diverter spout member is shown in its horizontal position in FIGURE3 wherein it may be seen that abutting ledge 18, disposed in the rearportion of the spout has pushed valve member 14 upward by contactingball portion 19 of the valve, and thus separating the seating members.Water can therefore pass through the valve and into the bathtub throughthe spout.

FIGURE 4 on the other hand shows the diverter spout in vertical positionwherein it may be seen that moving of the spout to this position haspermitted valve member 14 to fall by gravity and thus provide awater-tight seal by the coaction of seating members 12 and 13.

In operation, the diverter spout member 3 and check valve assembly 14operate as do conventional bathtub spouts and valves when desiring torun water into the bathtub or shower head. For example, when the wateris turned on by conventional controls, water coming from the supply pipepasses through the open check valve assembly 14 and out the horizontalspout member 3 to pass into the bathtub. When it is desired to take ashower using the assembly of this invention, the spout member 3 ismerely raised to the vertical position, shown in phantom in FIGURE 3 andin detail in FIGURE 4, which operation serves to remove the diverterspout as a protruding object and simultaneously permits seat 13 of checkvalve member 14 to seat on the seating ledge 12 disposed in supply pipe10, thereby preventing the water from passing into the spout member 3.Closure of check valve 14 therefore forces the water upwardly so as topass through the shower assembly. Any water which may leak around checkvalve member 14 would of course be caught on drip ramp 26 and passedthrough weep holes 27 and 46 out into the bathtub.

It is of course to be understood that the invention may be modified byvarious means which would be obvious to one skilled in the art and whichwould still obtain the beneficial results realized by the presentinvention. For example, various means obvious to one skilled in the artmay be adapted to permit the diverter spout member 3 to be rotated inthe diverter box member other than that illustrated herein, such as bybearings, ball and sockets and the like. Moreover, it is contemplatedthat various types of check valve assemblies and means for their controlwill become obvious to persons skilled in the art after becoming awareof the disclosure set forth in this application.

While the invention has been described in detail with reference tospecific embodiments thereof, various changes and modilcations whichfall within the sphere of the invention and scope of the appended claimswill become apparent to the skill of the artisan. The invention istherefore intended to be limited only by the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A combination bathtub spout and shower system comprising;

(a) a water supply pipe, said supply pipe being provided at its frontportion with a diverter valve assembly whereby the water may be directedto a bathtub spout or a shower head;

(b) a diverter spout member, said spout member having a trailing endadapted to removably engage said supply pipe, the trailing end of saidspout member being further provided with means to open and close saiddiverter valve assembly;

(c) a diverter spout container assembly containing said diverter spoutmember and said diverter valve assemy;

(d) said diverter spout member being pivotable about a horizontal axiswithin said diverter spout container assembly in such manner that whensaid spout member is in a horizontal position, the valve is opened topermit water to pass out of said spout member into the bathtub and whensaid spout member is in a vertical position, the valve is closed so asto prevent water from passing out of said spout member and to directwater to the shower outlet.

2. A combination bathtub spout and shower system according to claim 1wherein said diverter valve assembly comprise a seating member incombination with a corresponding ground seat disposed in said supplypipe, said seating member having a lower appendage actuated by meansdisposed in said diverter spout member.

3. A combination bathtub spout and shower system according to claim 2wherein said diverter spout member is of T shaped construction, the armsof said T being reciprocal within grooves formed within said diverterspout container assembly.

4. A combination bathtub spout and shower system according to claim 3wherein said diverter spout container assembly comprises (a) a boxmember, and

(b) a box cover; wherein said box member and box cover define horizontalgrooves for reception of the T portions of said diverter spout member bywhich said spout member is manually movable to vertical and horizontalpositions.

5. A combination bathtub spout and shower system according to claim 4wherein said diverter spout container assembly is provided With avertical recessed por-. tion adapted for reception of said spout memberwhen said spout member is in a vertical position.

6. A combination bathtub spout and shower system according to claim 5wherein said diverter spout container assembly is provided with springmeans biased against said diverter spout member to prevent said diverterspout member from movement when said spout is in a horizontal position.

7. A combination bathtub spout and shower system according to claim 6wherein said diverter spout container assembly is provided with outletsfor release of any. drip water from actuation of said diverter valve.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 656,759 8/1900 Wirt 137-616.5

749,285 1/ 1904 Gardenier 137-616.5

995,340 6/ 1911 Garnet 25 l339 1,195,170 8/1916 Arndt: 251-339 1,727,4289/1929 Cros-bie 4-191 1,746,727 2/ 1930 Dunlap 25 l339 2,022,875 12/1935Zinkil et a1 4-145 2,627,872 2/1953 Gruen 4191 3,012,251 12/1961 Fife419'2 FOREIGN PATENTS 555,406 3/1957 Belgium.

1,197,933 6/1959 France.

LAVERNE D. GEIGER, Primary Examiner DONALD B. MASSENBERG, AssistantExaminer

